Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves Management Plan (1983)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves Management Plan (1983) CHARLOTTE HARBOR AQUATIC PRESERVES MANAGEMENT PLAN Cape Haze, Gasparilla Sound-Charlotte Harbor, Matlacha Pass and Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserves Adopted May 18, 1983 I Department of Natural Resources This page intentionally left blank CHARLOTTE HARBOR AQUATIC PRESERVES MANAGB~ENT PLAN Adopted May 18, 1983 By the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund Governor Bob Graham Secretary of State George Firestone Attorney General Jim Smith Comptroller Gerald A. Lewis Treasurer Bill Gunter Commissioner of Agriculture Doyle Conner Commissioner of Education Ralph D. Turlington Dr. Elton J. Gissendanner, Executive Director Department of Natural Resources Division of Recreation and Parks Bureau of Envircnmental Land Management Preparation of this report was primarily supported by a grant from the u.s. Office of Coastal zone Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and, the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation, the Office of coastal Management, through the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 as amended. i This page intentionally left blank STATE OF FLORIDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT TRUST FUND R E S 0 L U T I 0 N WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund is charged with the acquisition, administration, management, control, super­ vision, conservation, protection, and disposition of all lands title to which is vested in the Trustees under Chapter 253, Florida Statutes; and WHEREAS, Chapter 258, Florida Statutes, directs that state-owned sub­ merged lands within aquatic preserves be set aside forever in their essentially natural or existing condition for the benefit of future generations; and WHEREAS, the Trustees are charged with the adoption and enforcement of reasonable rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of Sections 258.35 through 258.46, Florida Statutes, regarding the regulation of human activity within ~he aquatic preserves so as not to unreasonably interfere with lawful and traditional public uses of the preserves; and WHEREAS, Section 16Q-20.13, Florida Administrative Code, mandates the development of management plans for aquatic preserves; and WHEREAS, the Trustees desire to serve the public by effectively planning, managing and protecting aquatic preserves; and WHEREAS, the Trustees recognize the importance and benefits of prote~ting the natural resources and preserving the natural ecosystem of the aquatic preserves ii This page intentionally left blank in the Charlotte Harbor area, and NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund hereby adopts the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves Management Plan; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Trustees designate the Cape Haze Aquatic Preserve, the Gaspari 11 a Sound-Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve, the ~1atlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve and the Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve as 11 Wilderness preserves .. , wherein the primary management objective will be the maintenance of these ecosystems in an essentially natural state; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves Management Plan shall serve as a fundamental policy guideline for the Trustees and other state and local agencies having jurisdiction relative to maintaining the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves system, and shall provide the overall policy direction for the development and implementation of all administrative rules and programs related to the management of state-owned submerged lands within the Cape Haze, Gasparilla Sound-Charlotte Harbor, Matlacha Pass and Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserves; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Natural Resources,Division of Recreation and Parks, is hereby designated as a9ent for the Trustees for purposes of aquatic preserve planning and management. IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund have hereunto subscribed their names and have caused the Official Seal of the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund to be hereunto iii This page intentionally left blank affixed in the City of Tallahassee, the Capital, on this the 18th day of May , A.D., 19_§l_. < • ~ ' I • •.' .. ' 1- ••• ': '~\· • • • "' •• ' ••• l ~ ' .. ' .. : ~ '• .I • • ~ • ..,- • ~ ,; .I' . :: :~' .(SEAl). 1 t \) · .. ;. -~- ~ ;; :'Boah:\ 'of JrllJst'ee~ :of the ~ -::-. : In..terncil~ lmp'royement Trust · ~ ·f nd · <::. • •• _- ·-. y• • u '\ !_ •' : r- I : • \).' • 1111 • •• ,~ ...,, • • -- 1111 , ...... \.;~-; :"/·. ~ ..... ··: ..~~:_..-- tOilij)tro 11 er /';I , i): • ,, ''• ...... ' I I ' ' I ' • , , I • ~ 2Wt ~t,____·- Treasurer As and Constituting the State of Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund iv This page intentionally left blank TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page RESOLUTION.................................................. ii I. INTRODUCTION • ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 1 II. MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 7 III. MAJOR PROGRAM POLICY DIRECTIVES ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 17 IV. RESOURCE DESCRIPTION •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 21 A. Geologic Features and Landforms ••••••••••••••••••.•••••• 21 B. Community Associations ••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••• 22 c. Archaeological and Historical Sites ••••••••••••••••••••• 37 D. Water Resources • •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 42 E. Cultural •••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 45 v. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ...••••••.•..•......•..•••..•••.••••••••• 47 A. Introduction •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 47 B. Onsite Management Objectives •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 47 c. Administrative Management Objectives •••••••••••••••••••• 69 VI. MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION NETWORK •.••••••••••••••••••••••••• 77 A. Federal ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 77 B. State . ................................................. 83 c. Regional ............................................... 90 D. Local Governments and Special Districts ••••••••••••••••• 92 E. Other Entities •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 95 v This page intentionally left blank Table of Contents (Continued) Chapter VII. PUBLIC USES •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 97 A~ Consumptive Uses ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 97 B. Non-Consumptive Uses ..............••.......•.......•.•... 98 VIII. PRIVATE NON-COMMERCIAL USES •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 99 IX. COMMERCIAL USES ••.•.•.....•....••.•••.•...•.••.••...••..••••. 101 A. Traditional Commercial Uses ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 101 B. Non-Traditional Commercial Uses ••.••••••••••••••••••••••• 104 X. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 107 XI. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 109 XII. IDENTIFIED PROGRAM NEEDS ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 111 A. Acquisition of Additional Property ••••••••••••••••••••••• 112 B. Boundary Problems and Systems Insufficiences ••••••••••••• 112 c. Legislative Needs •.••••••.•••.•••••••••.•.•••..•.•••••••. 113 D. Administrative Rule Changes ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 113 E. Data (Information) Needs ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 114 F. Resource Protection and Enforcement Capabilities ••••••••• 114 G. Funding and Staffing Needs ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 115 LITERATURE CITED •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 117 CONTENTS OF APPENDICES •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••• 119 vi This page intentionally left blank Chapter I INTRODUCTION This management plan addresses the four aquatic preserves ('Cape Haze, Gasparilla Sound-Charlotte Harbor, Matlacha Pass, and Pine Island Sound) in the Charlotte Harbor estuarine system (Figure 1) in southwest Florida, approximately 80 miles southeast of Tampa Bay and 80 miles west of Lake Okeechobee. The surface water area of the four aquatic preserves encompasses over 200 square miles or approximately 90% of the surface water area in the Charlotte Harbor estuarine system. The entire estuarine complex is within Charlotte and Lee Counties. The incorporated cities in the area include Cape Coral, Ft. Myers, Punta Gorda, and Sanibel, and the unincorporated area of Port Charlotte. The estuarine complex is bordered on the west by a chain of barrier islands, which include: Gasparilla Island; Cayo Costa; North Caotiva Island, Captiva Island; and Sanibel Island, north to south respectively. Pine and Little Pine Islands lie between Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass, somewhat east of the middle of the southern half of the complex. Within the entire complex are thousands of islands, many with no upland area. Mangrove trees are by far the most dominant vegetation of the estuarine complex. Extensive marine grassbeds are found in the shallow bays and sounds. The climate in this region is subtropical, with an annual rainfall of approximately 53 inches. Generally, the majority of this rainfall occurs between June and September (Taylor, 1974). The area•s spring season is 2 ·----------- Port Charlotte 0 .I I - Gasparilla Sound - Charlotte Harbor ----f!!f...-- Aquatic Preserve CHARLOTTE LEE \ Cape Coral fiQUre 1. Aquatic P-.rve L.ocatian Map 3 generally dry with little or no rainfall. This area, along with south Florida in general, has experienced drought periods, with the years of 1981-1982 being one of the worst. This part of the state has generally less rainfall than the rest of the state. The subtropical climate is an important factor for the great diversity of animal and plant life within the
Recommended publications
  • Street Map of Boca Grande Neighborhoods
    Street Map of Boca Grande Neighborhoods Gasparilla Island, Florida North End Directly on the Gulf of Mexico Gasparilla at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor. Pass Boca Grande BEACH Gulf DEEDED North BOCA GRANDE CAUSEWAY Shores ACCESS condo North PRIVATE complex TO MAINLAND GASPARILLA PASS BLVD. Cole Boca SUNSETCIRCLE PINES Key Grande Village Grande Quay Boca Grande Club Marina N. ISLAND CT. ISLAND N. Village South End BEACHFRONT LOTS Gulf of Mexico THE TRESTLE FISHING PIER Seawatch The LAKE Courtyard ORIGINAL SITE OF GASPARILLA OLD GASPARILLA Harbor RESIDENTIAL Residential FISHERY Charlotte Beachfront lots – UNPLATED PARCEL – Dunes of Boca townhouse villas Sea Oats LARGE LOTS GULF SHORES DR. SHORES GULF ~ Gasparilla condo complex & Boca Grande RESIDENTIAL Sound ~ Real Estate, Inc. ~ Peacon’s Branch Office DR. COVE PEEKINS Cove The Boca Grande Club – UNPLATED PARCEL – condos, townhouse villas, ROAD GASPARILLA private homes The GROUPER HOLE DR. HOLE GROUPER Kitchen ~ ~ Live Oak Key ~ Grouper NORTH END Hole ~ From Cole Key to the 1. Charlotte / Lee County line CHARLOTTE COUNTY c 2008 BOCA GRANDE REAL ESTATE, INC. LEE COUNTY GROUPER HOLE CHARLOTTE COUNTY EAST LEE COUNTY CT. NW SHORE GULF SHORES NORTH North End ACRES From the Charlotte / Lee LANE County line to 19th St. th 2. 48st. – NATURE PRESERVE – Gulf Shores SHORE th ROAD GASPARILLA North 45st. Boca Grande Village SNAIL ISLAND CT. NW LAGOON LANE South End SNAIL ISLAND th Gulf of Mexico 40st. LOOMIS AVE. NW AVE. LOOMIS SHORE EAST SHORE ACRES TO SARASOTA Harbor Charlotte LAGOON TO SARASOTA 681 75 LANE LAUREL th 35st. EXIT 193 JACARANDA EXITBLVD. 191 EXIT 182 RIVER ROAD 75 SUMTER BLVD.
    [Show full text]
  • Island-Hopping Along the Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel
    NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 2019 CONTACTS: Francesca Donlan, Miriam Dotson, 239-338-3500 Island-hopping along The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel Find your island by land or water! LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- Most of us dream about it. A tropical vacation. Island-hopping from one exotic, off-the-grid island to another. Not a care in the world. Leaving all of your worries (and maybe even your phone) at home. If this is what you would like to turn into reality, pack up your T-shirts and flip flops and head to The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel on the Gulf of Mexico. Here, you can take the time to unplug. Find your island in this Southwest Florida paradise by land or by water. In Jimmy Buffett style, you may spend days doing absolutely nothing or engaging in serious exploring of these award-winning islands. The Florida of days long past, with unspoiled white sand beaches, exotic wildlife and lush subtropical foliage, can still be found here and it is the perfect oasis where visitors can “get away from it all” and yet still be close to all of the modern amenities. Many of the area’s 100 coastal islands are uninhabited mangrove clusters, while others take visitors' breath away with their beautiful beaches. From shelling to kayaking to beautiful sunsets, visitors come to this destination and find their island creating wonderful vacation memories. Save the date! The sixth annual Island Hopper Songwriter Fest returns Sept. 20-29, 2019. The popular event brings music back to the beach with new artists and new events.
    [Show full text]
  • Hurricane Charley Preliminary Storm Survey II
    Hurricane Charley Preliminary Storm Survey II Disclaimer: Hurricane Charley track and intensity information from our surveys are preliminary. Final official intensity and track will be determined by the National Hurricane Center. By Mark Linhares NWS Senior Meteorologist Birmingham, Alabama National Weather Service Meteorologists surveyed the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Charley. The hurricane affected a large part of Southwest and West Central Florida. The most significant damage occurred in Lee, Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, and Polk counties. The hurricane affected parts of Sarasota and Highlands counties to a lesser degree. Preliminary damage was estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. The hurricane damage path was similar to the path taken by Hurricane Donna on September 11, 1960. A strong feeder band associated with Hurricane Charley moved across West Central and Southwest Florida during the early afternoon hours of 13 August 2004. This band produced at least 5 weak tornadoes. Unfortunately, most of these tornadoes occurred in the same areas that sustained maximum damage from the hurricane's eyewall region. Therefore, the survey team was unable to distinguish individual paths and will rely on the time of the damage reports at this time. Future evaluation may make these paths more defined. Hurricane Charley made landfall at 345 PM EDT at Cayo Costa, just north of the barrier island of Captiva in Lee County. Hurricane Charley was a Category 4 hurricane with winds around 140 miles an hour at landfall. The survey team found the most intense damage was coincident with the eyewall region. The eyewall region moved across northern Captiva, Pine Island, and Gasparilla Island, then continued into Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, and Cleveland.
    [Show full text]
  • Boca Grande: the Town the Railroad Built
    Tampa Bay History Volume 4 Issue 1 Article 4 6-1-1982 Boca Grande: The Town the Railroad Built Jeanne P. Reidy Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/tampabayhistory Recommended Citation Reidy, Jeanne P. (1982) "Boca Grande: The Town the Railroad Built," Tampa Bay History: Vol. 4 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/tampabayhistory/vol4/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Open Access Journals at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Tampa Bay History by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Reidy: Boca Grande: The Town the Railroad Built The original Gasparilla lighthouse built in the 1880s. Photograph courtesy of Ramar Group Companies, Inc. BOCA GRANDE: THE TOWN THE RAILROAD BUILT by Jeanne P. Reidy Captain Carey Johnson, retired bar pilot, sadly shakes his head as he ponders the demise of the phosphate shipping operations at Boca Grande, Florida. It bothers him that after seventy years of being one of Florida's major deep water ports, Boca Grande should be abandoned. Captain Johnson is part of the family of pioneering seamen who opened the port and saw it develop after phosphate was discovered and mined near Bartow in 1885. A need emerged for better shipping methods than that of floating barges down the Peace River to Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor. This, in turn, led to the building of the railroad and the establishment of the quaint and unique town of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island.
    [Show full text]
  • Segment 11 Map Book
    Gottfried Creek BridgeGoldfish Creek Cattle Dock Point SR 776 Segme3nt 11: Charlotte Harbor Map 1 A C R 6 7 7 6 Oyster Creek 3 12 6 Environmental Park Trout Creek 1 LEMON BAY 7 7 AQUATIC PRESERVE 3 R C 6 Lemon Bay Englewood Beach 3 A Weston's Resort 3 Whidden Key 6 6 3 Peterson Cut 12 3 Stump Pass Stump Pass 18 6 Beach State Park 3 3 N: 26.9123 | W: -82.3527 Thorton Key A Buck Creek Knight Island N: 26.8559 | W: -82.3029 6 6 B 7 7 R Knight Pass S C N: 26.8468 | W: -82.3020 3 Lemon Creek D N: 26.8464 | W: -82.3036 Amberjack N: 26.8353 | W: -82.2683 12 E Environmental Park 18 Don Pedro Island Charlotte Harbor Preserve 30 Bocilla Island 6 Don Pedro B Don Pedro Island 3State Park (Rlotaonnda dInte rbnataionsal eAir)port Island State Park Cape Haze 12 C612 Don Pedro Island State Park (bayside access) Don Pedro Island D 3 6 60 State Park (Gulfside) Little Gasparilla Pass 3 3 6 Placida Harbor 3 3 E Grande Tours3 Outfitters Little Gasparilla Island 12 Coral Creek 30 3 0 1 2 4 Miles Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park 3 3 Catfish Creek 12 3 Catfish Point Bird Key Boggess Hole 3 3 Placida Harbor 3 3 Segment 11: Charlotte Harbor 6 Map 1 B 3 LEMON BAY AQUATIC PRESERVE 3 Catfish CrCeehkarlotte Harbor Preserve State Park 3 Bird Key A Dog Island Campsite 3 12 Boggess Hole 3 3 Gasparilla Pass 3 3 3 Mound Key 3 Gasparilla 3 3 3 6 Gasparilla Sound 3 12 Peekins Ranch Cove 3 CAPE HAZE AQUATIC PRESERVE 12 3 3 Sandfly Key 3 12 6 Bull Bay Pelau, CayoCayo Pelau 3 3 Bull Key 3 3 60 Hoagen Key Devilfish Key 3 Little Cape Haze Hoagen Key Campsite B 12 3 Jack Point
    [Show full text]
  • The Changing Face of Commercial Fishing in Charlotte Harbor: Triumph of Ice Over Salt Theodore B
    The Changing Face of Commercial Fishing In Charlotte Harbor: Triumph of Ice over Salt Theodore B. VanItallie Harbor Habitat “Fishermen go where the fish are” and, by all accounts, the fish populations of Charlotte Harbor in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries were extraordinarily abundant. One of Florida's principal estuaries, the harbor in its pristine state must have provided an ideal habitat for many species of fish. The photic zone—a relatively thin layer of water that can be penetrated by light—is an ocean's primary production area. In the photic zone, growth rate depends on the intensity of light and the supply of available nutrients. When its waters are sufficiently clear and placid, Charlotte Harbor is shallow enough to permit transmission of abundant light to the phytoplankton (minute plant life) and to the sea grasses that provide a habitat favorable to fish. Three major rivers, the Myakka, Peace, and Caloosahatchee, flow into the estuarine system, delivering the nutrients needed to replace those used up by the harbor's teeming marine life. These freshwater streams also provide the zones of reduced salinity that some fish, especially juvenile forms, require. Unfortunately, fish-nursery conditions in Charlotte Harbor are not as favorable as they once were. Ecologists report that, overall, the Harbor's sea-grass meadows declined by about 29% between 1945 and 1982. A little more than half of this reduction was found in Pine Island Sound, Matlacha Pass, and San Carlos Bay. An adverse impact on the estuary's sea grass—probably transient— appears to have resulted from dredging associated with construction of the Intracoastal Waterway and the Sanibel Causeway.
    [Show full text]
  • Coastal Building Codes and Hurricane Damage
    COASTAL BUILDING CODES AND HURRICANE DAMAGE Carolyn A. Dehring* University of Georgia and Martin Halek University of Wisconsin - Madison May 11, 2012 * Terry College of Business, Department of Insurance, Legal Studies, and Real Estate, University of Georgia, 206 Brooks Hall, Athens, GA 30602, phone (706) 542-3809, FAX 706- 542-4295, [email protected] The authors are grateful to the Honorable Kenneth M. Wilkinson, CFA, Lee County Property Appraiser, Lee County, Florida, for data, and especially to Jim Sherron. We thank Chris Jones for his coastal engineering insights. We also thank Peter Colwell, Ed Coulson, Chris Dehring, Jim Kau, Olivia Mitchell, Harold Mulherin, Henry Munneke, and Tony Yezer for helpful comments. We acknowledge financial support provided by the Terry-Sanford Research Award and the National Science Foundation DEB-0823293 and DEB-0218001 as part of the ongoing research at Coweeta LTER. JEL Classification: H59, H76, Q54 Abstract We explore whether federal and state level changes to coastal building standards are effective in mitigating losses to coastal property following Hurricane Charley. We find properties built seaward of and after the reestablishment of the Coastal Construction Control Line, and those built under the National Flood Insurance Program and located in an A-Zone, had more damage relative to similarly located structures built before these regulatory changes. We show the NFIP regulations allowed for weaker foundation requirements and lower elevations relative to the earlier county code. This likely led to greater flood damage, as supported by analysis of individual structural components. 2 1. INTRODICTION In the United States, government limits the bundle of rights associated with real property ownership through building codes, also referred to as construction codes.
    [Show full text]
  • Aboriginal Occupation of Gasparilla Island by Robert F
    Aboriginal Occupation of Gasparilla Island By Robert F. Edic Excerpted with permission from Maritime Archaeology of Lemon Bay, Florida, Florida Anthropological Society Publications, No. 14 (Spring 1999) In 1980 I moved to Gasparilla Island. By 1982 I had found an unrecorded aboriginal shell midden on land being cleared for house .construction. By 1989 I had discovered six additional aboriginal sites on Gasparilla Island, and two more on adjacent small islands, Hoagen and Sisters keys. Some of these sites date to c. A.D. 800 - 1500 and reveal that indigenous Florida Indians used Gasparilla Island more intensively than previously known. Environment At the end of the last Ice Age, about 20,000 years ago, the sea level was lower (approximately 200 feet) and Florida's Gulf coast was about 100 miles west of its present location. By 6,000 years ago, rising sea levels had started to inundate the area that is now Charlotte Harbor. Gasparilla Island is part of a chain of barrier islands at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor. The island is of recent origin. Radiocarbon dating of shells from beach-ridge deposits suggests the island is no more than approximately 3,000 years old. An isolated artifact - a chipped-stone projectile point or knife (Bolen Plain) made from fossil (silicified) coral -found on the beach by state park ranger Anne Marie Sampley, probably dates to ca. 7,000 B.C., well before the island formed. There is a general trend for erosion and shoreline recession along the western edge of Gasparilla Island, fronting the Gulf of Mexico. Archaeological sites are lacking there, and it is presumed that erosion has removed evidence of early sites that might have existed.
    [Show full text]
  • Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program Committing to Our Future a Public-Private Partnership to Protect the Charlotte Harbor Estuarine and Watershed System
    Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program Committing To Our Future A Public-Private Partnership to Protect the Charlotte Harbor Estuarine and Watershed System Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) 2008 Update SUMMARY This summary of the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) was created with information from the CCMP approved in 2001 and 2008 and various sources provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council. The CCMP 2008 Update and this document, the CCMP Summary 2008 Update, may be obtained as PDF files from the Program website at www. CHNEP.org. Printed copies are available from the Program Office and can be requested through the website. Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program 1926 Victoria Avenue, Fort Myers, FL 33901-3414 239/338-2556 | Toll-free 866/835-5785 | Fax 239/338-2560 When an estuary’s www.CHNEP.org components DIRECTOR: Dr. Lisa Beever | [email protected] | ext. 235 SENIOR SCIENTIST: Catherine Corbett | [email protected] | ext. 241 are in balance, DEPUTY DIRECTOR: Liz Donley | [email protected] | ext. 234 COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER: all life flourishes. Maran Hilgendorf | [email protected] | ext. 240 The CCMP Summary was written by Maran Hilgendorf and originally designed by The Set Up, Inc. Photographs were provided by Litaker Photography, Pat and Brady Pfeil, The Ledger, Boca Beacon, Mote Marine Laboratory, Lee County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Charlotte County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Polk County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Sarasota County Convention and Visitors Bureau and CHNEP staff. © Revised January 2008. September 2002. Printed on recycled paper.
    [Show full text]
  • Prepared in Cooperation with The
    UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY LITERATURE ASSESSMENT OF THE CHARLOTTE HARBOR ESTUARINE SYSTEM AND SURROUNDING AREA, SOUTHWEST FLORIDA By Yvonne E. Stoker and George A. Karavitis Open-File Report 83-127 Prepared in cooperation with the FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, SOUTHWEST FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL, and SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TOE INTERIOR JAMES G. WATT, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director For additional information Copies of this report can be write to: purchased from: District Chief Open-File Services Section U.S. Geological Survey Western Distribution Branch 325 John Knox Road U.S. Geological Survey Suite F-240 Box 25425, Federal Center Tallahassee, Florida 32303 Denver, Colorado 80225 CONTENTS Page ..____.«...* * ..._._..* __«__.____.««.._._._..«.»«*"" _.__._____«.__._.___._«__._*.. ._._.__.* «.* «.* ._.._*...... ^0 Report organization 3 Bibliography 1-A Subject index 1-B /\ J. IT CJ U-cl _L 1 Lj/ mmmmm,mmmmmmmm» mm,mm,mmtmif»mm « *« *« *« »»« * « *« *« *« *« ». *w«.«».i .H.***.....^.. ...*..........«»...»... ....... * ... .«» X"*15 Altered freshwater flow 1-B Barrier islands 1-B Beach restoration 1-B Benthos 1-B Birds 1-B Caloosahatchee River basin 1-B V^dllCtXOf^QTt o 1 o ____ .............. ___________ __ _ _____ _ _ » ....... ___________ _______» i.AJ*7« "R Charlotte County 2-B Charlotte Harbor flora and fauna 2-B Charlotte Harbor water quality 3-B Circulation 3-B \JC* JL.1 "1^.llld TTia f-L.
    [Show full text]
  • CCMP: Committing to Our Future
    Committing to Our Future A Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the Greater Charlotte Harbor Watershed from Venice to Bonita Springs to Winter Haven Update 2013 The Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) was first adopted by the CHNEP Policy Committee on April 13, 2000. It was updated and adopted on March 24, 2008 and again on March 18, 2013. The Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), this document, may be obtained as a PDF from the website. For additional copies of the printed book, please contact the Program Office or place an order through the website. Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program 1926 Victoria Avenue Fort Myers, FL 33901-3414 239/338-2556, Toll-free 866/835-5785 www.CHNEP.org The CCMP was developed in part with funds provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 through a cooperative agreement with the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program. Cover art donated by Linda Soderquist (www.LindasIslandArt.com) to the CHNEP originally for the Charlotte Harbor Nature Festival. © 2000. Revised 2008 and 2013. Printed on recycled paper. Committing to Our Future A Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the Greater Charlotte Harbor Watershed from Venice to Bonita Springs to Winter Haven Update 2013 The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) is a partnership of citizens, elected officials, resource managers and commercial and recreational resource users who are working to improve the water quality and ecological integrity of the CHNEP study area. A cooperative decision-making process is used within the program to address diverse resource management concerns in the 4,700-square-mile CHNEP study area.
    [Show full text]
  • Vol.14, No.4 – December, 2015
    Friends of the Randell Research Center December 2015 • Vol. 14, No. 4 A Tour of the Islands of Pine Island Sound: A Geological, Archaeological, and Historical Perspective Part 12: North Captiva by Denége Patterson North Captiva rises from the Gulf of Mexico between Cayo Costa and Captiva Islands. Its northern boundary is Captiva Pass and its southern boundary is Redfi sh Pass. For residents and visitors, the island is a subtropical paradise accessible either by boat or by private airplane. The harbor provides visiting boaters with direct access to at least two restaurants, two small shops, an ice cream parlor, the Safety Harbor Club, the North Captiva Island Club, and golf carts. Islanders have invested in conservation- minded development, using battery-powered golf carts on crushed shell and sand paths North Captiva Island, seen from the air. (Photo by R. Mayhew.) shaded by native vegetation. Shell mounds provide elevation for rare, tropical hammock vegetation such as gumbo limbo, Boca Seco. These are today’s Captiva Pass and Blind Pass. mastic trees, and strangler fi gs. Neither “Captivo” nor “Captiva” exists in the Spanish language North Captiva was attached to Captiva Island until the 1921 but Boca Seco in Spanish means dry mouth or opening, suggest- hurricane blew out Redfi sh Pass. The new pass was 4,127 feet ing a shallow pass. wide but by 1977 it had narrowed to 660 feet. North Captiva In 1833, the English-speaking American investors of Sanibel Island is geologically dynamic. At least three other passes have Island named the northern island “Captive” with an “e” on the opened and closed during the past 1500 years including Packard end.
    [Show full text]